Greg Thornton has held numerous school leadership jobs

The Baltimore City Board of School Commissioners on Tuesday officially announced that it will be hiring Gregory Thornton, the current superintendent of Milwaukee Public Schools, as the new chief executive officer for city schools.

Dr. Gregory Thornton

Dr. Greg Thornton, the current superintendent of Milwaukee Public Schools, will be coming to Baltimore to head the city's school district.

WBAL-TV 11 News has learned that Baltimore City Public Schools officials will make a decision on a new CEO as early as Tuesday, and that will be to hire Greg Thornton, who is the current superintendent of Milwaukee Public Schools, sources said.

Thornton said he made the decision to come to Baltimore not long after re-signing in Milwaukee because of the rare opportunity it represented to extend the reach of his work in a city close to his childhood home of Philadelphia. Thornton also went to graduate school in Maryland, so he considers the move a homecoming.

"There are defining points in one’s career and one’s life, and opportunities like this one -- to really transform the lives of children -- come along rarely," Thornton said. "Baltimore’s school district is in an exciting place, where there is work underway and a strong base of community support in place to change the future for our children. Baltimore’s students deserve the best possible education, to be competitive and meet the challenges of this new economy and ever-changing world. I will work with parents, staff, students and the community to fulfill our commitment of providing an excellent education to our children. Nothing less is acceptable; nothing else is more important."

Baltimore and Milwaukee are similar in size. Milwaukee has a little more than 78,000 students while Baltimore has 84,000. Their budgets are also about the same at a little more than $1 billion a piece.

Under Thornton’s leadership, Milwaukee prides itself for having put a major school facility plan into place, and that may have been a selling point to Baltimore, which is faced with spending $1 billion to build and renovate schools.

As for academics, according to a recent national report, while Baltimore’s fourth- and eighth-grade student math test scores are down, they are on the rise in Milwaukee. Both school systems have made slight gains in fourth- and eighth-grade reading tests.

"Dr. Thornton’s focus on literacy, STEM and college access in Milwaukee is encouraging. I look forward to working with him to accelerate student achievement in Baltimore and take the city’s children to new heights," said state schools Superintendent Lillian Lowery in a statement.

Before Milwaukee, Thornton was superintendent of the Chester Upland School District in Chester, Pa. He was also chief academic officer in Philadelphia and he has held top school leadership jobs in Maryland and North Carolina.

Thornton replaced Andres Alonso, who stepped down last year to assume a prestigious professorship at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Tisha Edwards had served as interim CEO.

A representative for the Milwaukee Public Schools has not yet returned phone calls seeking comment.

Thorton officially accepts new job

Thorton paid his first visit to a Baltimore City school John Eager Howard Elementary School to officially accept his new job.

Thornton said he has high hopes for students and concerns about school conditions. He'll have a say in how the district spends more than $1 billion in school construction dollars. Beyond that, he said his mission is all about children.

"I want to be clear. This is not just about a superintendent or CEO coming to town. It's not about a board of commissioners. It's about all of us coming together for one goal, about making life better for the young people of this city," Thornton said.

He appeared to already have the support of the city's mayor.

"This is a very exciting and pivotal time of change for Baltimore City schools, and Dr. Thornton will be tasked with a big role in setting us on the right course for generations to come," Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said.

Thornton replaces Edwards, who fought back tears during the morning news conference.

"I want to thank the city of Baltimore for giving me the opportunity to learn, to serve and to lead. I love this city and I love our children. It has been my honor and my pleasure," Edwards said.

In the midst of transition, students have drawn up their own list of priorities.

"I think the schools need cleaner bathrooms," one student said.

"The schools need air conditioner and heat," another student said.

Thorton said he's eager to make the transition to Baltimore.

"It was a hard decision. I want look back. It's been great. I will miss Milwaukee, but I tell you, I'm waking up every morning thinking, 'I'm not thinking the Orioles just yet. I am not thinking Ravens just yet. But it's coming. It's coming,'" Thorton said.

Thorton will officially take the reins of the Baltimore City school system in early July.

YEAH, I'M STAN STOVALL. IT LOOKED GOOD. IT FELT GOOD. WE WILL LOOK CLOSER AT THAT WARM UP A LITTLE BIT LATER. BUT WE ARE GOING TO TALK ABOUT BALTIMORE'S NEW SCHOOL CEO. HE CAME INTO TOWN, GETTING TO KNOW HIS STAFF AND THE STUDENTS, I UNDERSTAND. WE ARE EAGER TO GET THE STORY FROM OUR 11 NEWS REPORTER TIM TOOTEN. THORNTON GREW UP NOT FAR FROM HERE IN PHILADELPHIA. IT WAS EVIDENT HE WAS EXCITED ABOUT BEING BACK ON THE EAST COAST. DR. GREGORY THORNTON PAID HIS FIRST VISIT TO A BALTIMORE CITY SCHOOL TO OFFICIALLY ACCEPT HIS NEW JOB. LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, DR. GREGORY THORNTON. [APPLAUSE] THORNTON SAYS HE HAS HIGH HOPES FOR STUDENTS AND CONCERNS ABOUT SCHOOL CONDITIONS. HE WILL DECIDE HOW THE SCHOOL SPENDS MORE THAN $1 BILLION IN SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION MONEY. I WANT TO BE CLEAR, THIS IS NOT ABOUT A SUPERINTENDENT OR A CEO. THIS IS NOT ABOUT A BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS. THIS IS ALL OF US COMING TOGETHER FOR ONE GOAL, TO MAKE LIFE BETTER FOR IT THE PEOPLE OF THIS COMMUNITY. THIS IS AN EXCITING AND PIVOTABLE -- PIVOTAL TIME. WE WILL BE SETTING UP ON THE RIGHT COURSE FOR GENERATIONS TO COME. TEACHER LETITIA EDWARDS FOUGHT BACK TEARS. I WANT TO THANK THE CITY OF BALTIMORE FOR GIVING ME THE OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN, TO SERVE, AND TO LEAD. I LOVE THIS CITY AND ITS CHILDREN. IT HAS BEEN MY HONOR AND MY PLEASURE. IN THE MIDST OF TRANSITION, THE STUDENTS HAVE DRAWN UP THEIR OWN LIST OF PRIORITIES. I THINK THE SCHOOLS NEED BETTER, CLEANER BATHROOMS. THE SCHOOLS NEED AIR CONDITIONING AND HEAT. BURTON SAYS HE IS EAGER TO MAKE THE TRANSITION TO BALTIMORE. -- THORNTON SAYS HE IS EAGER TO MAKE THE TRANSITION TO BALTIMORE. I WAKE UP EVERY MORNING -- I AM NOT THINKING ORIOLES JUST YET, I'M NOT THINKING RAVENS JUST YET, BUT IT IS COMING.